7 Health & Anti-Aging Benefits Of Omega-3s

7 Reasons To Love Omega-3s And How They Benefit Your Health

You’ve probably already heard about Omega 3 fatty acids. But what are they? And what health benefits do they offer?

Let’s get started answering these questions!

Omega 3-s are polyunsaturated fatty acids. Your body can’t produce them on its own, you have to get them from your diet.

But do you really need them? Yes you do! Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial nutrients for your overall health. From an unborn baby and throughout life, your body and brain need Omega-3s to function properly.

There are actually not many other nutrients that are packed with so many positive health benefits as Omega-3s. Here are some of them:

7 Health & Anti-Aging Benefits of Omega 3-s

#1: Reduce Inflammation:

In case you don’t know, the root cause of many diseases is chronic inflammation. Additionally, chronic inflammation speeds up the aging process.So reducing inflammation is one of the most important Omega-3 benefit.

According to this study, Omega-3 fatty acids can help decrease system-wide inflammation.

Therefore, if you eat a nutrient-dense diet that includes Omega-3 fatty acids, your body will be able to better fight inflammation, aging and diseases.

#2: Healthy Skin

It’s natural that as you age, your skin loses elasticity and you start noticing the first lines and wrinkles.

After all, your body isn’t able to produce such a high amount of collagen as it used to produce when you were in your 20s. However, when you have a diet rich in Omega-3s, you’ll notice its anti-aging effects on your skin!

#4: Preventing And Managing Autoimmune Diseases

The one thing that autoimmune diseases have in common is that the immune system attacks healthy cells. This occurs when the immune system fails to identify healthy cells, but instead sees them as intruders.

According to multiple studies, Omega 3-s can help not only to prevent the appearance of autoimmune diseases, but also improve or relief some of the symptoms.

#5: Heart Health

One of the most well-known Omega-3 benefit is related to heart health.

And this benefit is really important since heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

This is an excerpt from a study published online September 30, 2019 in the Journal of the American Heart Association:

“People who received omega-3 fish oil supplements in randomized clinical trials had lower risks of heart attack and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) events compared with those who were given placebo, according to a new meta-analysis from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Researchers found an association between daily omega-3 supplementation and reduced risk of most CVD outcomes, including heart attack, death from coronary heart disease, and death from CVD, but did not see benefit for stroke. In addition, higher doses of omega-3 fish oil supplements appeared to provide even greater risk reduction.” via www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/

What you should eat to get plenty of Omega 3-s

My guess is that you by now are pretty convinced that Omega-3s are important for your health?!

You may wonder though: “What should I eat to get plenty of them?”

Since your body can’t produce Omega-3s on its own, you need to search for these fatty acids in the food you eat.

Fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel and sardines, is the best source of Omega-3s. If you eat good quality fish at least twice per week, that should be enough. Unless you have a health condition that you think may improve with a larger dose of Omega-3s.

And how much Omega-3s do you need? This is a recommendation from Healthline:

“Although recommendations can vary widely, most health organizations recommend an intake of at least 250–500 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA, the two essential forms of omega-3 fatty acids, per day.

However, a higher amount is often recommended for people with certain health conditions, such as heart disease or high triglyceride levels.”

What if you don’t like fish or you’re a vegan?

If you don’t like fish, or if you’re a vegan, what other foods are good sources of Omega-3s?

To start with, Omega-3 contain several different types of fatty acids. The three main types are DHA, EPA and ALA:

DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid): The most potent and vital fatty acid in Omega-3 is DHA. It can make a real difference to your health.You get DHA mainly from animal products like fatty fish, fish oil and krill oil. Meat, eggs and dairy from grass-fed animals also contain significant amounts. Vegetarians and vegans often lack DHA. So a good solution to this is to take a microalgae supplement. Algae oil is an excellent DHA source.

EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid): EPA is the “second” most important Omega-3 fat your body and brain need. It has several important functions, and it seems to be the best Omega fat for skin health and fighting depression. EPA is also mainly found in animal products, such as fatty fish, fish oil and krill oil. Some microalgae also contain EPA.

ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid):This is the most common omega in food, and you mainly use it for energy. It can be converted into EPA and DHA, but only a small percentage of ALA is converted since the process is inefficient. ALA is found in foods like green, leafy vegetables, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and soybeans.